Work related

[bellabeans 74]

I chose not to tell anyone at work , I'm just going to suddenly get sick for 2 weeks . I have saved all my sick time so I will still get paid . Thinking of saying appendicitis or gall bladder considering I've already had appendicitis as a child. What did everyone tell their jobs ??

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[tgun25 29]

I'm a teacher and I've had to take some days off during the school day for appointments, so I just told my boss the truth. I don't have my surgery date set yet but I'm almost positive that it'll be mid-June, so I'm lucky, I won't be working. But with the school days I've missed I figured I should be on the up-&-up with my principal. He was very understanding and was happy for me and the choice I've made.

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[2goldengirl 2,076]

I didn't tell a thing, you don't have to. You file your FMLA paperwork, your surgeon says you need to be off from Y to X, and you're done. Even your HR dept. doesn't need to know what you're having done.

That said, I did tell my supervisor and my manager, because of the preop appts. I had to do. They haven't told anyone else, they can't. It's the law.

When people asked why I was going to be out, I just said "I have a little something that needs taking care of".

[jea(n__n)ette 98]

I did tell my coworkers months ahead that I planned on having surgery, and when the time got closer I only told the higher ups that I'll be having surgery on X date and will probably be out X number of weeks. Considering I work in a hospital and there's a well known thing called HIPPA and HITECH, neither of them asked what I was having done.

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[Megall9 268]

I told my manager and supervisors the truth from the get go. I wasn't sure how much time I'd need off, and I knew there was going to be a lifting restriction as well, and since I have a very physical job I wanted to give her a heads up.

Not only is my work super supportive of me, they are also very excited for me, which is nice! I am only taking two weeks off, but when I come back they are going to give me half day shifts at first until I see how I feel, and go from there. I'm also switching to a lighter duty position for a bit which is nice.

[Talaria 50]

Only my immediate family knows I did it. Tomorrow is my first day back. I already got a "You look like you lost weight" comment from a friend the other day, so I don't know what my co-workers will say.

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[DeletedMember 715]

Not sure about you employment situation, but after being out sick for more than a few days, many HR departments ask for medical clearance to return to work. More than anything it's for legal coverage. If you are out that long they don't want you to return in an unhealthy state and they end up liable.

It's not a big deal, I'm sure your surgeon would write a note saying you were under his care and are cleared for a return to work. Just wanted you to be aware that could happen.

[evelaine 17]

I have told all the people I talk to and my boss. Same as most comments, I've had so many pre-op appointments that I felt it necessary to tell. Also, I want and need their support in this journey. There are some people that think it's ridiculous to have WLS. And I have heard one comment not specifically about me but I choose to avoid her. She doesn't know me or my struggles and I don't really care what she thinks.

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[Kath515 1]

I only intend to tell the people living in my house and my sister in law who also had the procedure. Your employer doesn't need to know why you are out on medical leave or PTO (and if your company is large enough for FMLA, be sure to file for that to protect yourself). I will tell my boss that I am having a medical procedure completed and he is not legally allowed to ask any more other than when will you be gone and when will you be back.

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[Christinamo7 4,042]

I applied for FMLA to protect my job. HR had the paperwork indicating what was being done but they can not talk about it. I did tell my coworkers and manager, but if I had chosen not to they only would have known that I was going to be out for x amount of time on FMLA.

[silverthreads 183]

Leaving your co-workers in a lurch isn't a good idea and might have future consequences. I told my boss that "I need to have some surgery" -- he never asked for specifics. I'm in a fairly responsible position and I'm taking 6 weeks off (perhaps more than I need, but I've got over 5 months of leave saved up). So that allowed me to make a plan and find several co-workers to cover for me while I'm gone. I told each of them the same -- "I need to have some surgery". Not one person asked more. I was prepared if they did to say "It's a GI thing -- I'd rather not go into details". All truthful of course, but it wasn't needed. Everyone was very supportive and wished me well. I only told a few about the surgery, but the word will get around as it always does.

[FrankyG 1,450]

I chose not to tell anyone at work , I'm just going to suddenly get sick for 2 weeks . I have saved all my sick time so I will still get paid . Thinking of saying appendicitis or gall bladder considering I've already had appendicitis as a child. What did everyone tell their jobs ??

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Please reconsider and let your boss know you'll be out for those two weeks at least a little before the actual time. You're screwing over everyone in your workplace by not giving them notice that you'll be out, and if it comes out later (or they even suspect that you had known you were having surgery and just decided not to tell anyone) they'll hold that against you down the road. Not in any way you could prove, but they can and will be pretty resentful and you may suffer for the lack of notice. Think about how you'd feel if one of your coworkers was out for two weeks with no notice and you had to pick up all of their work...

And they can and will likely require the doctor's notice to come back to work after a few days if you tell them it was emergency surgery for something else, and if it comes from a doc that is a bariatric surgeon (which will be on their letterhead or easily google-able)... well, you'll end up revealing more than you planned on in the end.

You don't have to tell them you're having WLS - I told my boss I was having abdominal surgery to correct a medical issue and that I didn't feel comfortable discussing the details so I didn't even lie. But do let them know so you won't be stressed about your job when you get back, they won't be stressed about the job while you're gone and you'll still have a job to come back to without lots of weirdness.

[bellabeans 74]

I work in a hospital so I know there is plenty of coverage . Also my doctor is a surgeon for hernia repair, gall bladder and many other surgical situations . I however can not believe that human resources gets copies of your paperwork . That is a hippa violation in every way . I do not think the insurance company can share that information with your employer. That is a huge violation of your privacy .

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[silverthreads 183]

It's not a HIPPA violation for HR to require a doctor's note prior to an absence, or medical clearance to return. You're needlessly playing with fire here--why run the risk of angering your boss or co-workers? Be a considerate employee and you will reap rewards--game the system and leave people in a lurch and you may have consequences.

What if you have a complication and need more time? Do you really want to have to admit you started by lying??

Please reconsider.

[2goldengirl 2,076]

I work in a hospital so I know there is plenty of coverage . Also my doctor is a surgeon for hernia repair, gall bladder and many other surgical situations . I however can not believe that human resources gets copies of your paperwork . That is a hippa violation in every way . I do not think the insurance company can share that information with your employer. That is a huge violation of your privacy .

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All your empolyer gets is a statement from your surgeon (in advance of your absence) saying that you will be physically unable to work from Day Y to Day X. Period.

When you return, that same doctor gives you a Return to Work clearance stating you may return to work and any restrictions, if there are any (e.g., no lifting X 3 weeks) or "no restrictions" if there are none.

That's it. No HIPAA violations.